Bottle-washing machine.



No. 816,920. PATENT-ED APR. 3, 1906.

P. D. LAIBLB. BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 15, 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

6 a w n m 3 E S V R M W P B A m D 5 E T N B M P E. N5 w H1 Mm H Y L m BGJ MND IE Hm IS: W .1 0 L Pam L1 T T? 0 B WITNESSES PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

LNG. 816,920.

P. D. LAIBLE. BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY15, 1905.

5 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNESSES:

.No. 816,920. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

P. D. LAIBLE.

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY15. 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

P. D. LAIBLE.-

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY15. 1905.

s SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY- UNITED STATES rA-rEN'r OFFICE.

PHILIP D. LAIBLE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BOTTLE-.WASHING MACHINE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed July 15, 1905. Serial No. 269,765-

tion, such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

TlllS invention relates to machines for washing and rinsing bottles such as are commonly used by brewers and bottling establishments, the objects of the invention being to provide a washing-machine that will more effectually cleanse the interiors of the bottles, while facilitating the work as compared with i the older methods and means employed, to

simplify and reduce the cost of construction, and to gain other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved bottle-washing machine and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and. finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referrirw to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 1s a plan of my improved ma chine, certain straps for retaining the bottles in their runways being removed to show the construction of a runway more clearly; and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same, taken upon line 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the wall of the tank and the adjacent bottle carrying arms broken away, the aipper and lower vertical arms being shown 1n central section. Fig. 4. illustrates certain modifications of construction in the tank and the guides. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section upon line y, 4 and Fig.

6 is a diagrammatlc view of the said modified construction of guides looking in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 4.

In said drawings, 2 indicates a tank, which is preferably divided, as by partitions 3, into a series of compartments adapted to hold different liquids, such as are commonly employed in washing bottles. Above the said tank is arranged, horizontally and longitudinally thereof, a shaft 4, having upon itself a hub or drum 50, which is preferably divided, as at 5, to accommodate the divisions or compartments of the tank. This said hub or drum carries upon itself, longitudinally thereof, radial extensions, which may be of any number, although preferably four, as I have shown in the drawings. Each of said radial extensions is composed of opposite facing parts 6 6, separated by a space in the plane of 'the shaft 4 and forming between themselves a runway or passage for bottles. The said facing parts 6 are each supported by rods 7, extendlng outward from the hub 5, and at their outer ends are connected, as by metal straps 8, it being understood that said radial extensions are divided transversely in coincidenoe with the divisions of the hub or drum above described. The passage or runway for the bottles between the sa1d facing parts or members 6 6 is of a zigzag formation, each section or etc 9 of said runway having one of its side wa ls, as 10, disposed obliquely to the general direction which the bottles are to take in passing through the machine, and the next section or ste having its opposite side wall, as 11, also 0 lique or inclined, but in the opposite direction. The assage or runwayis, moreover, ofa width ac apted for asingle bottle to roll loosely through. In operation of the machine, therefore, the tank-compartments having been suitably filled w th liquids, the shaft 4 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows. A bottle is then inserted in said runway at the left-hand end of the machine, as seen in Fig. 1, and obviously such insertion must be made into the upper or exposed radial spoke of the machine and through the end thereof. The bottle thus lies in radial position with respect to the shaft 4, as indicated'at 12 in Fig. 1, its neck abutting against the hub or drum and the body portion of the bottle lying between the opposite members 6 6 of the runway. As the shaft 4 turns and the radial spoke in which the bottle has been'placed passes a vertical position the bottle falls over against the opposite side 11 of the second runwaysection and rolls by gravity along said section, so that it lies in the position marked 13 in Fig. 1. The bottle occupies this position throughout a half-turn of the shaft 4 or until it reaches the lowermost vertical position, filling with liquid as it is immersed in the during the next revolution of the machine, i

so that each revolution advances the bottle one step until the bottle has traveled the entire length of the machine, when it is ejected. During these movements the bottle is being alternately filled and emptied and its exterior subjected to washing. tual practice another bottle is inserted as soon as the previous one has passed along into the machine to give room or one bottle is in sorted into each carrying-arm of the machine at each of its revolutions, and so each arm of the machine is constantly filled with bottles, which are being discharged at one end and replaced by others inserted at the opposite end. The bottles are therefore kept constantly in motion in the liquid and are being repeatedly filled and emptied, so that they are perfectly cleansed and rinsed.

It will be remembered that the hub or drum and its radial spokes are divided transversely, as at 5, to receive the partitions 3 of the tank, and the pockets or inclines of each runway are. so arranged in number and sequence that the shifting of a bottle from one tank to the next always occurs at the top or uppermost position, so that the bottle passes freely above the partition between the tanks. On the other hand, every longitudinal shifting at the lower position of the bottle carrying spokes occurs wholly within one compartment of the tank, as will be un derstood. Preferably slats or strips 15 are provided upon the rods 7 adjacent to the hub 5 in order to more completely guide the necks of the bottles, and, furthermore, the surface of the hub 5 is recessed, as at 16, in any suitable manner, so that the mouths of the bottles shall not be stopped or impeded.

In order to insure that the lighter neck of the bottle does not lag or drag behind in the rolling of the bottle along a section or step of the runway, guiding-fingers 17 are provided upon the bottom of the tank,which project upward at one side of the shaft 4 and hub or drum 5 thereon. These guides have inclined upper ends 18, which are adapted to engage the necks of the bottles, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 more particularly, and throw the same forward into alinement with the body portion of the bottle. The said inclined portions are readily passed by the rod portion of the bottle-carrying spokes; but the outer facing parts 6 6 of the spokes have to arms and which positively be transversely slotted, as at 19, to pass the l the tanks.

Of course in ac.

upright portions 20 of the guides, as will be understood. V

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have shown a form of machine in which the bottles are shifted mechanically and entirely by means of guides. Here the bottle-carrying arms each comprise,

at the outer ends of the spokes 7, opposite l pieces 21 21, each having a longitudinal series of grooves 22 for bottles and the grooves of one piece or member 21 being opposite those of the other. The said members 21 are divided transversely between such grooves, as at 23, to pass the bottle-shifting guides, next to be described. At the end walls of the tank frame or body 24 are uprights 25 to support a top rod 26, which extends parallel to the shaft 4 and vertically above the same out of reach of the arms on said shaft. This rod '26 supports certain upper guides 27, formed of sheet metal and one for each transverse division .23 of the bottle carrying arms. Each of said upper guides comprises a stem 28, projecting downward through a division 23 of the grooved members 21 2] of the bottle-carrying arms and having at its lower end a linger 29, extending forwardly with respect to the direction of turning of the shaft 4 and bottle-carrying arms thereon. This finger 29 is laterally deflected or bent as much as possible, while still permitting the spokes 7 to pass its extremity, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the bottles are each started out of its groove toward the next adjacent groove, as indicated in outline on Fig. 6. Upon the edge of the tank frame or body 24 are sta tioned the lower guides 36, each comprising a horizontal stem 31, adapted to'pass through the divisions 23 of the grooved members 21 21 of the bottle-carrying arms and having at its upper edge fin ers 32 33 and at its lower edge a finger 34, a l of which fingers are bent laterally into positions substantially parallel to the linger 29 of the upper guide, as shown in Fig. 6. The operative efl'ect of these guides therefore is to force all the bottles to move along longitudinally of the machine one groove f or every revolution of the shalt 4.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have also shown a modified form of tank or container for the fluids used for washing the bottles or, in other words, separate'tanks 35 for each annular portion 36, into which the bottle-carrying arms are divided by the divisions 23. To this end the tank-frame 24 has at its bottom rollers 37, upon which the tanks 35 afe set, said tanks being stamped out of sheet metal. and semicircular in side view. They it close to the bottle-carrying arms, as shown, and thus as said arms sweep around they automatically remove from the tanks any waste matter, such as paper from the bottles, This cleaning of the tanks is further facilitated by flexible brushes 38 on the extremities of sweep the walls of Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is.

1. In a bottle-washing machine, a shaft, a.

drum on said shaft forming at its periphery a drainage-seat for the necks of radially-disposed bottles, spokes projecting from said drum and forming runwaysfor bottles and means for turning said shaft and means adapted to automaticallyeffect a movement of said bottles through said runways as the shaft and its s okes rotate.

3. In a bott e-washing machine, a tank, a shaft, a drum on said shaft, spokes projecting from said drum and having opposite members with bottle-recesses in their facing sides and forming a longitudinal runway for bottles, means for shifting the bottles from recess to recess in said runway, and means-for turning the shaft.

4. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a shaft, longitudinal radial spokes on said shaft each comprising opposite members having in their facing sides series of oppositely-dis-- posed bottle-recesses ada ted to guide the bottles in a direction parallel with the shaft as they gravitate after having been raised and carried across the vertical plane of the said shaft by the said spokes, and means for turning said shaft.

5. In a bottle-washin machine, a tank, a shaft, longitudinal radiaIspokes on said shaft comprising opposite members having in their facing sides series of oppositely-disposed bottle-recesses, guides stationed in the forward upper quadrant of the path of movement of said spokes and adapted to engage the bottles to shift them from one recess to the next, and means for turning said shaft.

6. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a

shaft, radial spokes projecting from said shaft and forming a longitudinal runway for bottles, guides upon said tank adapted to engage the bottles and shift them in said runway,

and means for turning said shaft.

7. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a

drum, radialispokes upon said drum forming longitudinally of the drum runways for bottles and being transversely slotted, guides projecting into said slots and adapted to engage and shift the bottles, and means for retating said drum.

8. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a drum, radial spokes upon said drum each forming a longitudinal runway for bottles and being transversely slotted, up er and lower guides projecting into said s ots and means for turning the drum.

9. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank divided transversely into narrow compartments adapted to successively receive the bottles, a drum arranged longitudilmlly of said tank, spokes projecting radially from said drum and forming longitudinal runways for bottles, and means far turning said drum.

10. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank divided into narrow transverse compartments adapted to successively receive the bottles, a shaft, radially extending members 11 ion said shaft forming between themselves a fongitudinal runway for bottles, guides adapted to engage the bottles, and means for turning the said shaft.

11. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a drum, longitudinal radially-projecting mombers upon said drum each comprising members forming between themselves a runway for bottles, said members being transversely slotted, guides projecting into said slots, and

means for turning said shaft and its radial members.

12. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, transversely divided into compartments, a rotary bottle carrier mounted above said tank and slotted to receive the artitions thereof, and means for shifting ottles in said carrier when they are elevated out of the tank.

13. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a recessed drum adapted to receive the abutting mouths of bottles without closing the same, spokes upon said drumforming at their outer portions runways or passages for the bodies of bottles, guides for shifting the bot tles in said runways or passages, and means for turning the drum.

14. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a drum, longitudinal rows of spokes on said drum, having members at the outer ends of two adjacent rows of spokes forming between themselves a runway for the body portions of bottles, straps closing the outer side of said runway, stripsupon the bases of said s okes forming a rest for the necks of the bott es, means for rotating said drum, and fixed guides adapted to engagethe bottles in said runway. I A

15. In a bottle-washing machine, a tank, a rotary bottle-carrier comprising a drum, radial spokes thereon with outer bottle receiving members, said outer members being transversely slotted, fixed guides each having a body portion adapted to enter a slot of the outer members of the bottle-carrier and an inclined end adapted to lie between the spokes of said carrierand en age the bottles, and means for turning said bottle-carrier.

16. In a bottle-washing machine, atank, a rotary bottlecarrier mounted longitudinally of and above said tank, and comprising a drum, spokes on said drum having outer bottle-receiving members, said .outer mem bers bein transversely slotted, a top rod above sai bottle-carrier, upper guides upon said top rod and lower guides upon the tank,

said guides each having a bodyportion adapted to enter a slot of the outer members of the bottle-carrier and an inclined end adapted to lie between the spokes of said carrier andengage the bottles, and means for turning said bottle-carrier.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of July, 1905.

PHILIP D. LAIBLE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, RUSSELL M. EVERETT. 

